to talk about tonight, but we'll be in Ephesians chapter number one, and then we'll be over in John as well, John chapter 17. But I was thinking about this thought of intercession and Christ's intercession for us. And I want to kind of look at it in three different tenses, if you will. I want to think, first of all, back in eternity past and how the Lord loved us. Aren't you glad the Lord loves us and cares for us? He wanted the best for us. He created us so that He could have communion with us. Amen? And what a savior we serve. And I thought about this in Ephesians chapter number one, as we look back, you know, and then we're going to look at Jesus' ministry here on the earth and his wonderful example that he set for us in praying for one another and how he went about his life. And then we want to look at the future, amen, and what it means now to us for Christ being in heaven. And man, what a privilege we have and what an honor it is to know that we have brothers and sisters that can pray for us and we love one another. And we have this Bible that teaches us how to pray for one another and what to pray for one another. And I'm thankful we have the Word of God, you know, so we can look into it and find out these truths out of God's Word. But I'm telling you, our greatest, greatest intercessor is Jesus Christ, our Savior, amen? And I think about in times past, and I'm thankful that I'm saved tonight, and I'm thankful you're saved, amen? And God's grace has been sufficient for us, amen. Aren't you glad that the father sent his son into the world to make a way to him to get to heaven? I'm glad he came into this world, amen? And he wants to have fellowship with us, and he wants to have fellowship with us in perfect love, amen? And so we're gonna look at a couple of verses here, Ephesians 1. Look at verse number three, if you will, with me, amen? Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. You see that? Praise the Lord. Before we were ever born, Jesus Christ and the Father and the Spirit of God all communed together and they had a perfect plan for us, amen? And before the foundation of the world, he chose us in Christ, amen? And think about this, he says that we should be holy and without blame, look what it says, before him in love. Now think about it, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glory, of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted, hallelujah, in the beloved. Look at verse number seven, it says, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Amen. The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Hallelujah. I'm thankful for that. Blessed be the God and the Father. Amen. So we see it. So we see it. It was God that chose to send his son, Jesus Christ, so that we might have eternal life. I like that verse in John 1, 12. It says, but to as many as received him. to them gave he the power, you see, to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. I'm thankful that we believe the truth, we believed and received him, and he gave us the power, which is through the gospel of Jesus Christ, to become that sons of God that we believed on his name. Now Jesus has come, praise God, I'm glad he thought of us before we was ever born. and that you see the love of Christ there. But now, since he's came, look what he's taught his disciples and others as Jesus is that example when it comes to praying and how to pray for one another. Here's a good example to follow, okay? First of all, he taught that prayer should be a priority. And I've come to know that in my later years as a Christian. I know I need to pray more and more as we grow older, as every day we need to get closer to God because the times are evil. The times that we're living in are perilous times. And so we really need to pray more than what we did yesterday. We need to pray more tomorrow than what we did today. Amen? And so there's a priority in prayer. He told those Jews that thought the more to kill him because Jesus said that God was his father and making himself equal with God. He told them barely, barely. Here's what Jesus said to them. I say unto you, the son of The son of man can do nothing of himself, but listen what he says, but what he saith the father do. For what things soever he doeth, these also doth the son likewise. And he was telling them something. He said, it's not in my own power, but it's through prayer. It's through the father. He taught prayer was necessary. Jesus' life was a life of prayer. It was, and that's what our lives are to be too, amen? And so we see that Jesus totally depended on his father. You see, he was telling those Jews, listen, it's the father you've got to depend on. totally depend on him through prayer. So we should be the same way, right? Amen? Prayer is not an option for us. It's necessary, okay? Jesus' ministry started with a prayer. And when it started with the prayer, it was in Luke chapter three and verse 21, it says, now when all the people were baptized, It came to pass that Jesus, also being baptized, you see, and praying, that's what it said. And he was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, thou art my beloved son, thou art, in whom I am well pleased. Isn't that a blessing? Listen, he prayed, his ministry started with prayer as he was being baptized. Think about this, he taught us to begin our day in prayer. And so asking God for direction and decisions, we've got a lot of them here at the church. We've got a lot of decisions to make, important decisions to make. And we have to pray to God and ask him to seek his face and get his will in the matter, amen? It's not, it's something serious. It's necessary to do it. Amen. And then it says, he said there, he said, asking for direction and decision in Mark one in verse 35, the Bible says, and in the morning, rising up a great while before the day. Think about that. Jesus, holy man, holy God. gets up before the sun comes up, Jerry. And he's up really early, the Bible says here, before day comes. A while before day. See how that said in your Bible there? He went out and departed into a solitary place and there he prayed. So that's what we need to do, get into a place of solitary, a place of our own and pray and ask God to help us through the day. Amen. I got a lot of good, I got a lot of really good notes and a lot of good teachings from our Pastor Miller when he was here. I'm telling you, Pastor Miller really prayed and he knew what it was to seek God's face and he was a man of prayer. And that rubbed off a lot on me. A man, I knew I needed that more in my life than I've ever had before. And so the Lord helps us as we get to that solitary place and pray. Luke chapter five, it says in chapter five and verse 15, it says there that great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And then verse 16 says, and when he, Jesus, withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. So you had all those people that was coming upon him, but he still had to pray. And he had to get close to his father. And so that was a blessing and that was an encouragement to the disciples, you know, as they saw him do that. Amen. There's something about seeing people pray. It's sad when you go to the restaurant or something, you're out in the public and they sit there. We really try to pray every time we take a bite of something, amen? I always have it in my mind, if I don't pray over something, Brother Sam, I'm going to end up getting choked over that, sure as the world, you know? But you know what, we pray because God has provided for us. And he's really been good to us in sustaining our needs and giving us what we need day by day. Even the daily bread we need, physical bread. And I'm thankful for that. But you know what, you'll see them sometime, they'll be sitting at the restaurant and somebody will come in, they'll sit down, they'll bring the food out there and then they'll just start digging in. And I'll tell you, man, I'm thankful one day, I was like that one day, but thank the Lord, I got saved, amen. Lord come in my heart, put a desire in my heart, wanted to pray and thank God for what he's done for me and been providing for me. But that's what Jesus did. He withdrew himself. People come in wanting to be healed, wanting to hear him, amen. But he was always praying to the Father. Jesus not only prayed, but it's recorded In Luke 6, in verse 12, that it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer. And I wrote this down one night, Brother Miller was preaching on it. And I wrote this note down. That's where I got this note here from. And I wrote it down. I said, man, check that out. I think sometimes we think we pray, but we don't pray nothing like the Lord prayed. He prayed all the time, amen. Look what it says. He said, it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. All night, Jesus prayed. Amen. And I thought, man, what an example to follow. Amen. And so, you know people that pray all the time. You see them, I've heard preachers praying, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh Sammy Allen, thank you, brother. And Sammy Allen, he'd get in his closet and pray. They said he'd been there for hours and hours and hours praying to God, seeking the Lord's will, amen. But Jesus prayed all night. All night he prayed. And then the next verse says, the very next verse says, in that verse it says, in Luke 6, I think it was verse 12, He said, when it was day. See, he'd been praying all night. And then the day came, and then it said it's the next morning. Bible said it was the next morning. And then he called unto him his disciples. And look what he, and of them he chose 12. When he named the apostles. So he prayed before he chose the 12. So he prayed all night. I wonder what he was praying for all night. I'm praying, Lord, I'm gonna pick the right men over here. I'm gonna pick the right ones. I want you to put your seal of approval on them, amen? And so it was easy. It was easy for the Lord to choose them, amen? Because Father and him was one, hallelujah. In good prayer, communion one with another, amen? Jesus prayed before he raised Lazarus from the dead, remember that? He prayed for him and raised him from the dead as well. And then Jesus was on the cross dying for my sins, for your sins, for everybody's sins. He was dying on that cross. And you remember what he said, he said, Father forgive them. Right? But they know not what they do. He's praying on the cross, dying for our sins. What a Savior, amen? What a Savior He is. So think about how He's been a good example to us. And then I thought about not only during the Lord's ministry here on earth, we can learn from Him, but look what He's passed on to us. Gave us the Bible, gave us the epistles, gave us the New Testament, you know? They didn't have the New Testament back in Jesus' day. But I'm telling you, we had the Old Testament then. But now we've got, like Brother Sam was preaching this morning about the church, how to act in church, how to run the church, how to go select the pastor and deacons and officers in the church. They laid it all out for us, praise God, in the Bible. But Old Brother Paul, he gave us some good admonishment, didn't he? It told us how to pray. And I thought about this for a moment. I wrote a few things down. Praying for each other and confessing our sins. James chapter 5. Look over there real quick with me in James. Turn over to James. James chapter number 5. James chapter 5 and look at verse 14. Here's what Brother James said about praying. He says, is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Amen. And it says, in the prayer of faith, you see, praying with faith, praying with faith over someone shall, what does it say? Shall save the sick. You see that? What's that mean? What's that mean? What's it mean to save the sick? It'll help them get out of their infirmity. Praise the Lord, amen. Now, I believe that's true, don't you? So praying with faith shall save the sick, and look, the Lord shall raise him up. Praying with faith, the Lord shall, you see that? Shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, They shall be forgiven him. Wow, power in prayer, power in prayer. Confess your faults, look at this. Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another. You know what I think that means? When you confess your faults to one another. Have you ever done anything, anybody wrong? Have you ever said an odd word to somebody and you need to make that thing right? I think that's what that means, don't you? I mean really, if you confess your faults one to another, I think then if you pray for one another, confess your faults to one another, forgive one another, pray for one another, that you might be healed. And I think God would take that, whatever that is in our lives, whatever that situation is, whatever that problem is that we have with somebody, I think the Lord will heal that situation, don't you? I do, I believe he will. And it says, but here's the verse, and it says, the effectual, you see that? In that unceasing, fervent prayer of the righteous man of Bailiff Mutt. You see that? So we see that Paul says, we need to confess our sins one to another, and then pray for one another. And then Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3 in verse 1, he says, praying for us. Look back to 2 Thessalonians in your Bible. Turn back to 2 Thessalonians chapter number 3. And let's look at these verses here. It says, 2 Thessalonians. We get the second Thessalonians chapter three. And look what it says in verse number one, it says, finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course. Look at this, and be glorified. Do you want the word to have free course? And you want glory to go to God, we have to pray. That's why Paul was telling them there at Thessalonica, he said, pray for us, pray for us. That the Lord may have pre-course, the word of the Lord may have pre-course and be glorified even as it is with you, you see that? And so thank the Lord for that. That we may be delivered, look at verse number two, as it says in verse number two, look what it says, that we, and that we may be what? Delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. We're faced with them all the time. For all men have not faith. We've got to pray for one another because, listen, what we need to do is pray that we will be delivered from evil men. Amen. We pray for our grandkids in the daytime, and we pray for them every time we pray. We say, Lord, keep them from evil. Lord, put a hedge around them. and keep them from the onslaught of the devil. Keep them away from evil people. Keep them in purity. Amen. And so we really need to pray for one another and pray that ask for prayer, pray for others. And because wicked men are evil, they are in the world. And then 2 Thessalonians 1, look back over there in verse 11 and look what it says. It says, wherefore also we pray always for you. Isn't that a blessing? And I'm thankful that Bob was telling us this morning that he just calls us out by name. I've heard Sam say that too, amen. And I appreciate that fact. I thank God somebody is interceding for me, amen, on my behalf, calling my name out to the Lord, amen, because I'm telling you what, it's a blessing to be able to know that we can pray for one another, get encouragement and help, amen. And so thank the Lord. He said there, he said, we pray for you always that our God would count you, look at this, worthy of his calling. and fulfill all the good pleasures of his goodness and the work of faith with power. Amen. That's right. That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you. How many times have you ever prayed for somebody and said that Christ might be glorified? Amen. Bring glory into their lives in what they do. Pray for them and ye in him. according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul prayed always for those saints in Thessalonica, amen? And then in 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2, Paul said, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, they gave thanks to God always for the saints that were in that church there at Thessalonica, amen? Making mention of them, he says, in their prayers, praying in praying for their work of faith, you see, and we need to pray for one another at the church here in our work of faith. This is a work of faith here. Amen. We need to pray for one another and then pray for the labor of love. Amen. This is This is something, this is a continuation of what we've talked about to begin with. That God loved us and sent his son into this world to save us so that we could share the gospel with somebody else, amen? And I'm thankful that we have that truth today. And so just, that's a labor of love, you see. And this is what we're doing today. and in the patience of hope, amen, in our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm glad that we have hope in Christ and we know that our days on earth are gonna come to an end one day and we're gonna meet with the Lord. He says, and he says, be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known unto God. That's Philippians 4, 6. Praying that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart. You see, that's why we need to pray for one another. So we pray that the Lord would keep our hearts and our minds through Christ. Amen. That's a good prayer to pray. Amen. That's a wonderful prayer to pray. Prayer is that act of communication with God. Amen. We know that prayer was a big part of Jesus' life while he was on earth, as we've looked at. He spent considerable time alone with his father. Amen? He did. And so, most of the time, what he prayed about, well, we can only speculate on, really. However, a few places in the New Testament tell us exactly what he prayed for. In Matthew 19 and verse 13, he prayed for little children. He did. In Luke 22 and 32, he prayed for Peter's faith to remain strong. Remember that? Amen. I'm thankful he's praying for me today that my faith remains strong. We need to pray for one another that your faith remains strong. Amen. Stay steadfast. That's what that means. And then in John 17, and that's where we're gonna go to now, look over to John chapter 17. And I want to say the best for last, amen, if you could say that, but this is the intercessory prayer that we're going to look at, and I thank God for this wonderful chapter in the Bible. In John 17, amen, John chapter number 17, we'll get over there to it, amen, I'm thankful for Jesus Christ and what he prayed here, a blessing to our hearts, amen. And I want to share these few little thoughts with you. Jesus, high priestly prayer, he prayed for his followers and for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. Look at verse number 20. It says, neither pray I for these alone, he said, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, hallelujah. You know what, that's us. He was praying and he was saying that, he said he's praying not only for his followers, but for them also which shall believe on me, praise the Lord. And now that Jesus has ascended back into heaven, He still prays for us, amen. He does, and he's not up there twiddling his thumbs, he's up there doing a work of ministry for us, amen. He really is, I thank God for it. His ministry on our behalf continues. Hebrews 7, 25 says this, wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that came unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth, you see, to make intercession for us. I'm thankful that he's alive forevermore and he's at the right hand of God right now and he's interceding for us, praise God. Jesus, our advocate, he is our advocate with the Father. An advocate is one who pleads a case for another. An advocate stands in the place of those who cannot speak for themselves. Jesus, as our advocate, stands in our place before the Father and pleads on our behalf. He does. Jesus' advocacy is sure to be effectual because he is the one of whom the Father said, this is my beloved son and whom I'm well pleased. Jesus prays for us and he prays for us. His prayers for us are constant and they're perfect. They're perfect, amen. I'm thankful my friends pray for me, but I'm thankful my savior prays for me, amen. In heaven, what a perfect prayer. We have an accuser, his name is Satan, amen. And he accuses us night and day. Our mortal enemy broadcasts our sins every day before God, brother Roger, he does. Mocking, insulting the ones that Jesus bought for his own. And he does that constantly. But Romans 8 and 33 says for sure, we need not to worry about Satan's malice. We don't need to worry about it because Jesus is our advocate. He's more powerful. It says, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who? It is God that justify. Amen. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God right now, who also maketh intercession for us. You see, he's alive doing the work today for us. Praise God, that helps me, I'm telling you. I'm telling you, what benefits do we have being born again Christians? We have brothers and sisters in Christ that pray for us. Our heavenly father that died for us is now at the right hand of God, and he's making intercession for us forever. Forever. Praise God. What a savior, amen? And so think about that. So in John 17, Jesus prays for his followers, and from that prayer, we can learn the kind of things Jesus might be praying for us now. Now I want you to look at them. Jesus prays for us that we would do and be these things. Now look at them. Jesus prays that we should, that we would know God and his son, Jesus Christ. Look at verse number three. And this is eternal life, that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ. You see that? Whom thou hast sent. So Jesus prays that we would know God and his son. Secondly, Jesus prays for us that we would be protected from the apostasy. Look at verse 11. He says, and now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father. Listen to what he says. Keep. See that? Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me. Hallelujah. That they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them by my name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept and none of them is lost. But the son of perdition, that description might be fulfilled. So we see that the Lord prays for us, that we will be protected from going astray. Amen. Praise God. He lifts us up before the Father in prayer. What a blessing. And then Jesus prays for us that we might be one in spirit. Brother Dagger say amen right there. As the Father and the Son are one. You see that? You see that in verse 11? It says that, it says that there, it says that keep to my own name and those who have, that they may be one as we are. Jesus and the Father are one. We're one in them. Praise God. You see that unity? You see that unity? Thank God we have one spirit and we can have that oneness with him. Jesus wants us to be filled with his joy. Look at verse 13. He says, and now come I unto thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy, you see that, fulfilled in themselves. I'm glad Jesus is praying for me that I'll be joyful. Amen. I miss one thing. We're going through so much, y'all, but thank God he wants to have us a joy-filled life. Amen. And I'm thankful that he prays for that for us. Amen. And look at the next thing. Look at verse 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Do you see that? You see that? And thank the Lord Jesus praised it would be kept from the devil, from evil of this world. Praise the Lord. And I'm thankful we have a Savior to do such a thing. Amen? To be sanctified through God's Word. He set us apart. He set us apart, made us different than the world is, amen. Verse 17 says, it says, sanctify them through thy word, through thy truth. He said, what? Thy word is truth. You see, we have the Bible, praise God. We have the word to sanctify us, amen. And then Jesus prays for us to remain unified in Christ. through their generations. Verse number 20 says, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe. You see that? And he says on me through their word, that they may be one, that all may be one as thou father art in me and I in thee. That they also may be one in us. You're talking about a close, close knit. I'm telling you, that's, that's being, that's what you call being unified in Christ. Amen. Unified in the Lord. Praise God. And we're all one together. Praise God. And what a blessing that is all throughout all generations. Jesus prays that we would let our love convey his message to the world. Verse 23 says, that I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know, notice that, that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Praise the Lord. That's a message to convey to the world, amen? And the Lord is, this prayer is for us, amen? And then in verse number 26, you see Jesus prays that we experience the same kind of love for one another that the Father and the Son share. You know that's a tight-knit love, Father and the Son? Did you know the Lord wants to praise for us that we'd be just like that? We'd be one in love just like they are? And we are, we're saved. We have that privilege. Verse 26 says, and I have declared unto them thy name. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? Jesus is declaring our names before the Father. And he says, and I will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them. and I in them. Praise the Lord. Perfect love. Perfect love. Perfect love. Then lastly, think about this in my Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14. Look over to Hebrews 4, 14 and we'll be done. Amen. But I want you to see this. Hebrews 4 and verse number 14. Amen. Hebrews 4, 14 through 16. This describes Jesus as our high priest. Because of his intercession for us, we have access to the Father ourselves. Isn't that a blessing? Look what it says. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens. You believe that? I do. I do. He's there. He's there. It said, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. I'm thankful we have a savior that's been through everything we're going through, Gary, everything, no matter what it is. Your friend next door, He knows exactly what he's going through. Amen, because he's been there. He's felt the pain. He's felt the sorrow. He took all that on his cross. All of it. And so he's been tempted like we are, but without sin. Praise the Lord. And then he says, let us therefore come boldly. You see, what a blessing that is to be able to come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, you see, and find grace to help in time of need. So we have our great high priest there in the right hand of God. What a blessing that we have. Listen, despite what we may face in this life, no matter what it is, mom, I don't care what problem we have, Roger, whatever it is, we can live with confident assurance that if we belong to Jesus, he's always praying for us. Always praying for us. And I'm keep that in mind, you know. As we're searching for a pastor, I know Jesus is praying for us, Bob. He is. And if he's on our side, who can be against us? Who can go against us? You know what I mean? So we stay unified together in love, praying for one another, The Lord is, hey, what a blessing, you know? We're saturated with prayer, one with another, and then Christ, our Savior's in heaven praying for us daily. And you know what, Jerry? He don't stop. He never quits. And you'd think, Brother Jack, all the saved people in the world, going through all their problems and all their troubles, you would think, how in the world could he keep up with my problems if he's taking care of everybody else's in the world? Well, you know what? That's what he died for. It's a privilege for him to do it. And what a blessing it is to us. Amen. Just keep that in mind. I'm going to keep it in mind. And we pray for Kim. We'll pray for Kim. We're going to keep praying. We're going to keep trusting. And you know what? Here's the thing. We're praying for one another, Terry. And when we do, we bring you up in prayer all the time. At the church, we've got prayer lists. We do that often and always. But you know what? Jesus Christ is there. praying and interceding for her on her behalf. Praise God. What a blessing it is to be saved tonight. Amen. And I thank God for our church. I thank God for all the officers that were elected today. And I look forward to what the Lord's going to do in the new year. And I praise God for his intercessory prayer for me. And I'm thankful we have this Bible we could share with one another. And thank you all. I love you all very much. I do, each and every one of you. You're on my heart constantly. You are. And I've, you know, the Lord's, me and Lynn often, we've talked about, you know, the Lord's will in our life. And, you know, we've stepped out a couple of times and like we're not quite sure what's going to happen, but you know what? We're in love with Christ and he's in love with us. And you know what? We see some hard times coming. Seen some hard times come through our church. But you know what? The Lord's always got us through, Brother Jack. He's always made a way for us. And on the other side, we look back and we see how the Lord's brought us so far. Encourage us, you know why? Because Jesus is on our side. He's praying for us. He's interceding for us. What a Savior, amen? I pray that that's been a little blessing to you, it was to me as we studied, tried to get a few thoughts together. But let's stand and we'll